Simone Boilard came close to getting on the second podium of her career at the World Road Cycling Championships. Bronze medalist in the junior road race in 2018, the Quebec athlete took fourth place in the under-23 race on Saturday in Wollongong (Australia). In the peloton that included her category and that of elite women, she finished 22nde rank, all categories combined, in the second peloton.
If the International Cycling Union has put a rainbow jersey at stake for the first time for women under 23, the step has only been half taken, because these athletes have not had their own event and they had to race at the same time as those of the Elite category.
“It’s not the best race format if you want, but the best way to play it was to think about doing the elite race as best you can and then seeing the situation on the last lap. It’s weird, because it’s a bit of a race within a race. I hope that in the next few years they will make a real format with a real race. It will be better for everyone”, mentioned Boilard in an interview with Sportcom after his longest race in life.
It was a really tough race on all counts, both course and distance. I had ambitions for the U23 title, but unfortunately I just missed it on the line. I really gave it my all and couldn’t have done more.
Simone Boillard
Boilard finished in the same time as the silver and bronze medalists in her category, Great Britain’s Pfeiffer Georgi and Germany’s Ricarda Bauernfeind. New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black won the world under-23 title at the end of the 163 kilometer course.
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“I try to put things into perspective by telling myself that I can be happy with my race,” continued the Quebecer, recalling that she arrived in Australia only on Thursday morning due to delays in obtaining her visa.
“It was a lot of stress and I hadn’t slept or ridden much. It wasn’t the ideal preparation, but I can be super happy with the way we rode. […] I’m satisfied, but it’s also bittersweet. But hey, it’s done now. »
Simone Boilard may participate in one last race this season. She will be back in the St-Michel – Auber93 team next year to continue her progress at her own pace, alternating between World Tour races and those on the French circuit.
Annemiek van Vleuten continues her dream year
PHOTO WILLIAM WEST, AGENCY FRANCE-PRESSE Annemiek van Vleuten, who turns 40 in two weeks, continues her dream season.
There was less than a kilometer to go when the Dutch Annemiek van Vleuten surprised the group of favourites. Despite a fractured elbow that occurred a few days earlier in the mixed team time trial, van Vleuten won solo, a second ahead of Belgian Lotte Kopecky who blamed herself to the point of hitting her handlebars with a losing the world title. Bronze went to Italian Silvia Persico.
The 2019 world champion escaped solo with just under a kilometer to go. Behind, the members of the group of favorites looked at each other for a few seconds to see who would take the initiative to organize the hunt, but it was enough for the Dutchwoman to forge a gap of about twenty meters and surrender until the end.
The cyclist who will celebrate her 40th birthday in two weeks continues her dream season, she who won the Tour de France women, the Giro d’Italia Donne and the Challenge Vuelta.
Olivia Baril (+4 min 57 s) finished 37e of the day in the third group, while Magdeleine Vallières-Mill, of Sherbrooke, did not reach the finish. Alberta’s Alison Jackson, 18eposted the best Canadian result of the day in this race which marked the retirement of Manitoba’s Leah Kirchmann, 46eafter a professional career of ten years.
Baril fell in the last Tour of Italy and with hindsight, she can see that she hastened her return to competition to start the Tour de France a few weeks later.
“It weakened me a bit for the rest of my season, but hey, I consider this to be my first professional season. I’ve done almost 50 races, had ups and downs and lots of new experiences. It’s normal that I’m tired at this stage,” explained the Rouyn-Noranda native, recalling that her first race of 2022 took place in February. “I need a break! »
The Quebecer was delighted to see Silvia Persico on the third step of the podium, she who is her teammate in the Valcar – Travel & Service team in the races of the regular calendar.
“It was also her first world championships and she told me after the race that it was our medal, for her and me. I found that really nice. She told me that if I hadn’t been there for her at the Tour de France, she would have stopped. Today (Saturday), I was not in her team, but that she knew that I was in the peloton, that reassured her. »
Baril and Persico will no longer wear the colors of Valcar – Travel & Service next year, but they will be reunited in another formation. The identity of this team should be known in the coming days.
For a first and last time on Saturday, Baril teamed up with Leah Kirchmann.
“She was a really good road captain and I’m happy to have been able to race with her at least once. He is truly a legend of Canadian and even international cycling. »
At the start of the day, among the junior women this time, Éloïse Camiré (+6 min 22 s) was ranked 41e and best Canadian, while Pénélope Primeau was unable to complete the race.
The day before, Nicolas Rivard (+5 min 43 s) was the best representative of the country in the men’s under-23 event, finishing in 50e rank. Tristan Jussaume did not reach the finish line.
In the junior men’s event, Jérôme Gauthier (+11 min 50 s) finished in 30e place, in the same peloton as the other registered Quebecer, Félix Hamel.
On Sunday, Pier-André Côté and Nickolas Zukowsky will be at the start of the men’s elite road race.
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